Sandai Kitetsu had been snatched from a sword merchant by the rooster-headed Bartolomeo, trying to curry favor with Lin Mo.
From beginning to end, Lin Mo had never once said he wanted that sword.
It was Bartolomeo's one-sided intention—and in the end, his own careless actions that led to this mess.
No matter what, it shouldn't be Lin Mo who pays the price.
So no matter what Bartolomeo said, Lin Mo had no intention of helping him.
Seeing Lin Mo still ignoring him, Bartolomeo grew desperate.
"Don't ignore me, I'm serious! If you don't stop it, more people are going to get hurt—someone might even die!"
"So what?" Lin Mo replied expressionlessly. "Call the Marines. Don't come to me."
"Eh?" Bartolomeo stopped in his tracks, dumbfounded, watching Lin Mo walk right past him.
Just then—
A crazed man with bloodshot eyes and a sword in hand suddenly charged out from a narrow alley in front of Lin Mo.
As soon as he saw Lin Mo and Bartolomeo, without saying a word, he roared and swung the sword directly at the nearest person—Lin Mo.
It was a middle-aged man who had picked up Sandai Kitetsu.
Lin Mo dodged the wild slash with a sigh of annoyance.
Missing his target, the man immediately adjusted his stance and came at Lin Mo again.
This time, Lin Mo didn't dodge.
He stepped forward, grabbed the attacker's wrist, and twisted it forcefully.
But unlike Bartolomeo's case earlier—
This time, Sandai Kitetsu seemed fused to the man's hand. No matter how hard Lin Mo twisted, the man simply wouldn't let go.
Could it be… the longer someone held the cursed sword, the harder it became to release it?
Lin Mo frowned slightly.
He coated his other hand with Armament Haki, grabbed the blade itself, and with raw strength, ripped Sandai Kitetsu out of the man's grip.
The man's eyes rolled back, and freed from the sword's influence, he collapsed unconscious.
Lin Mo held Sandai Kitetsu in his hand, glanced at it casually, and was about to toss it away when the system's prompt rang out in his head:
"Ding ding! Acquired cursed sword Sandai Kitetsu. Sign-in progress +10%."
"Ding ding! Loguetown sign-in task complete. Congratulations, host! You've unlocked Soru and Kami-e. Reward: Mastery-level Fire Release: Great Fireball Dragon Technique."
Soru – A technique from the Rokushiki style that allows explosive movement by kicking the ground at high speed dozens of times in an instant.
Kami-e – A defensive Rokushiki technique that lets the user relax all their muscles to dodge attacks with fluid, paper-like motion.
Now, all six Rokushiki techniques were unlocked.
Although Lin Mo already had Shunpo, which served a similar function, combining both Soru and Shunpo could produce far greater effects.
He looked down at the Sandai Kitetsu in his hand.
He honestly hadn't expected the final 10% of sign-in progress to come from this cursed sword.
It seemed this sword was going to be with him for a while.
He smiled slightly.
Then, looking at the still-stunned Bartolomeo, Lin Mo asked, "Where's the scabbard for Sandai Kitetsu?"
Bartolomeo snapped out of it. "It's nearby! I'll go get it!"
He dashed off down an alley.
Lin Mo opened his status panel:
Name: Lin Mo
Age: 10
Sign-in Location: Drum Island (0%)
Physique: All-attribute Chakra
Haki: Armament Lv5, Conqueror's Lv4, Observation Lv4
Skills:
Fire Release: Great Fireball Dragon Technique (Mastery)
Swordsmanship Lv6
Shunpo Lv3
Night Guy Lv2
Divine Avoidance Sword Technique (Mastery)
Fairy Sphere Lv1
Rokushiki Techniques:
Finger Gun Lv1
Iron Body Lv2
Soru Lv1
Moonwalk Lv1
Tempest Kick Lv1
Kami-e Lv1
Weapon:
Cursed Sword Star Smasher (Toyako)
System Inventory: 100x100x100 cubic meters
Looking at the next sign-in location, Drum Island, the first person Lin Mo thought of was the little reindeer who had eaten the Human-Human Fruit—Chopper.
Chopper would be the future doctor of the Straw Hat Pirates. A cute, fuzzy little guy who got all shy when praised.
Judging by the current timeline, Chopper would only be around five years old, and hadn't yet met Dr. Hiriluk, who would teach him medicine.
As Lin Mo was lost in thought, Bartolomeo returned carrying the scabbard.
Lin Mo closed the status panel, took the scabbard, sheathed Sandai Kitetsu, and hung it beside Toyako at his waist.
Bartolomeo blinked, then quickly asked, "Wait—you're going to use that cursed sword?"
"Mm," Lin Mo replied casually, then turned and walked back toward the tavern.
Bartolomeo stood there watching his back.
The more he looked, the more excited he became.
"Aaah! So I misunderstood you?! You're keeping the cursed sword not for power, but so it won't hurt anyone else! You're bearing the burden yourself! Lin Mo, you really are cold on the outside, warm on the inside! You're exactly the kind of person I admire!"
Back at Roger Tavern.
The tavern owner noticed Lin Mo returned alone and asked curiously, "Where's Rayleigh? Don't tell me he went off to gamble again?"
Lin Mo answered flatly, "He's gone."
"Huh?" The owner paused while wiping a glass. "He didn't even say goodbye? Tch… I thought he'd stay at least until today was over."
"I'm leaving too," Lin Mo said.
"…Eh?" The owner was taken aback.
"Give me all the wine in your storage," Lin Mo added.
"Wha? There are over a thousand bottles in there! You think you can carry all that?"
Lin Mo nodded.
The tavern owner hesitated, then sighed. "Alright… if you want it, it's yours. Need help?"
Lin Mo shook his head.
"When do you plan to leave?" the owner asked.
"Depends."
"Well then, at least let me treat you to a meal before you go."
Lin Mo nodded.
The tavern owner set down his glass, stepped out from behind the bar. "Wait here, I'll go buy some snacks to go with the wine."
Once he left, Lin Mo headed into the wine storage behind the bar—and emptied the entire stock into his system inventory.
He didn't stop there. He grabbed everything from the shelves too—and then walked out of the tavern without a word.
He understood why Rayleigh had left quietly.
Some goodbyes are better left unsaid.
He felt the same way.
After sweeping the tavern clean of alcohol, Lin Mo went to the port and bought a new small boat, setting off toward his next destination.
The Baratie's supply ship had been destroyed in the earlier explosion.
Bartolomeo had been following Lin Mo the entire time. When he saw Lin Mo setting sail, he rushed to the port and shouted:
"Lin Mo! You're just gonna leave like that? I haven't even said what I wanted to say! Come back—please!"
Lin Mo didn't turn around.
He simply raised a hand and waved.
Bartolomeo stood heartbroken—until one of his underlings ran over holding a wooden box.
"Boss! Look what I found—it's a Devil Fruit!"
Roger Tavern.
By the time the tavern owner returned, Lin Mo was long gone.
He looked at the now-empty wine shelves in shock, the bag of food he was holding slipping from his hand.
"…Seriously? That kid left too?"
He ran into the storage room—completely empty.
On the floor, Lin Mo had left behind one million Berries.
The tavern owner stared at the money, his heart a swirl of emotions.